President Benigno Aquino III officially declared the years 2015 to 2024 as the “civil registration and vital statistics decade” in the Philippines. In the declaration, President Aquino urged all relevant national government agencies – namely health, civil registration and statistics - to strengthen and improve civil registration and vital statistics activities. He also called on the private sector, development institutions and the greater public to actively participate and support all programmes related to the “Get every Pinoy and Pinay in the Picture” initiative – a Philippine offshoot of the “Get everyone in the Picture” regional initiative in Asia and the Pacific.  The pioneering declaration by the President of the Philippines is testimony of the value placed on complete and responsive civil registration systems in achieving inclusive, equitable and people-centred development. 

The initiative follows the historic outcomes of the first Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific, held in November 2014. The Conference, which was attended by high-level officials and representatives of development partners, realized three core outcomes, namely:

(i) Adoption of the Ministerial Declaration to “Get Every One in the Picture” in Asia and the Pacific;
(ii) Endorsement of the Regional Action on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific;
(iii) Proclamation of the Asian and Pacific Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Decade, 2015 – 2024.

The Ministerial Declaration and Regional Action Framework aim to accelerate and focus efforts to improve CRVS systems in Asia and the Pacific and ensure the realization of the shared vision that by 2024, all people in Asia and the Pacific will benefit from universal and responsive  civil registration and vital statistics systems that facilitate the realization of their rights and support good governance, health and development.